A Frozen Tasty Treat

In my younger, pre-teen years, my parents would take an annual trek down to Burlington, North Carolina to visit friends and family. The family we stayed with were not part of my own family by blood, but rather by proximity. We lived next to them for about 5 years. They did not have any children or grandchildren of their own, so they more or less adopted me as their surrogate grandchild. They looked out for my family. They gave my parents nice furniture when my folks couldn't afford it. They gave my family money when we needed it. And as for me personally? They spoiled me rotten.

One of the ways in which they fed my childhood memories was by occasionally buying me a frozen tasty treat from the local 7-11. You know what it is.



Once again, things that stir the taste and smell senses have powerful memories linked to them. I saw the word "Slurpee" in a news story, and I was instantly transported 25 years into the past, eagerly awaiting for my surrogate grandma to walk in the door and set down that glorious 32 ounces of cherry flavored frozen sugary magic. The best part was the final inch of the slush, which was such a concentration of ice and sugar that if you gulped it straw free you were given such a buzz that you felt like you could run through a brick wall.

It is with a fair amount of contentment that I recently read this story:

Which really goes to show how far ahead of the game I really was.

Anyone thirsty?